The Hounds of Hell
by Amasing
Fox hunting originated in England around the 16th century as a way to control the fox population. The sly fox would get to our domesticated animals (ex. chicken) and have an easy meal. The early 2000 has seen a ban on such sport but not if it is labeled as “vermin.” Fox hunting has that upper class look to it but rat hunting?
Known with a chuckle as the Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society - parse the acronym - the rodent-hunters have been scouring downtown byways for more than a decade, meeting weekly when weather allows.
The society doesn’t claim to actually putting any dent to the city’s rat problem and are really doing it to keep their dogs in top hunting shape. Dogs, as some of us already know, have a “pack” mentality and work well in a group. When at its best, the alley pack works together. One dog will sniff out a rat and signal its whereabouts, often by barking. Another leaps at the hideaway to rout the quarry, and then a third lurches to catch it as it flees. A rat that scuttles into the open might get caught in a rundown, or even a tug of war, between dogs that circle and flank it.
This idea of dogs hunting rats in NYC isn’t making everyone happy. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which opposes hunting in general, expressed outrage after video of a dog snatching rats in a New York City park surfaced online two years ago. PETA Spokesman Martin Mersereau calls the alley rat quests "a twisted blood sport masquerading as rodent control." The Ryder Alley Trencher-fed Society responded by stating it’s a lot more humane than rat poison because the poison would cause the rat suffering for hours before death and poison in general, is never good for the environment. Still, one thing about NYC, there is plenty of rats to be had so release the Hounds of Hell!
Just make it rats and not human souls:
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